Waiting and Watching (11 page)

Agnes opened her eyes and said, “That's all I can ascertain right now; my spirit guide has retreated.” She cautioned them to be aware of false evidence and not to reach conclusions quickly or with hearsay. She once again warned them never to use the Ouija Board and even suggested they burn it. She thanked Lily for letting her conduct the séance and returned the watch to her. Agnes asked if any of them had any questions for her.

Connie spoke up. “I just remembered something that happened when Martin attacked me. Scenes from that night keep flashing through my mind. I know I saw a vision of my mother. She didn't say anything, but once I saw her manifest in front of me, I immediately felt almost safe. Could that vision be real or was I imagining it in my desperation?”

Agnes smiled. “I believe that was your mother protecting you. I feel she is still looking after you and your brother.”

“Thank you for saying that,” Connie said.

With that, Agnes said it was time for her to leave. Sgt. Reynolds followed her out. On the way out to the car, Agnes asked Joe Reynolds if Julio was Connie's brother.

“Yes, he is. Julio was adopted.”

“Are they the children of the people who were killed?” Agnes asked.

“Yes.” Joe replied

“How well does Connie know her brother?” she asked.

“I think they were separated when he was eight years old. He couldn't have been responsible for killing the parents at that age.”

“I was just trying to get the connection.”

* * * *

Back in Lily's living room, the group sat silently contemplating what they had just heard.

"Shit,” Julio said. “That was quite an experience. I'm not a believer, but those rattling blinds and blast of cold air really freaked me out. Connie, I can't believe you thought you saw Mom. Why didn't you tell me?”

“First of all, I just remembered it and secondly, I probably wouldn't have told you or Andrew because you'd both think I was crazy. It was so real and it immediately made me feel safe.”

“I don't think you're crazy and I would love to see Mom just one more time, too.”

“Oh, something else I just remembered. Do you remember Diannie Rose?” Connie asked.

“That name sounds familiar. Who is she?”

“She was my favorite doll, the one that disappeared and I kept blaming you for taking her.”

“You mean that ugly-ass doll that Grandpa gave you?”

“Yes, but the eyes were missing. Martin must have taken it and removed the eyes. He had her hanging from her neck.”

“Well, that's freaky, but that doll couldn't have gotten much uglier. I remember you giving her a home permanent and Mom had to get her a doll wig. As I recall, Mom gave you a permanent wave at the same time and you both looked like hell.”

“You're right. She was a ‘Toni Home Permanent Doll,' and she was the coolest doll ever.”

“Okay, enough about ghosts and freaky dolls. I could use a cold beer and a noisy crowd. Anyone up for a drink at the Tavern?”

Tuesday—September 9, 1986

“Sammy, sorry I couldn't talk last night. You caught me at the worst possible time. Do you remember who I told you was coming over to my modest little apartment for a séance? Yes, the Harriman kids! Remember how I envied Connie Harriman? In high school, she and her crowd wouldn't look at me, much less befriend me. Now she actually wants to be my friend. Her little brother is really hot and I think I've piqued his interest. Can you believe how ironic this whole situation is?”

“Hold on. I may be high, but what were the two Harrimans doing at your house for a séance?”

Lily filled Sammy in on how she came to meet Connie and Julio. “You sounded really bad last night, Sammy. What's going on in the Sunshine State?” Lily asked.

“Well, my bitch-ass mother is still not around. I'd like to think someone knocked her off, but I'm sure she's shacked up with her latest plaything. Hopefully, she won't just turn up, like she's done before, and finds out I've cashed her Social Security checks and practically emptied her checking account. My dealers are after me and I'm out of money. What am I going to do? I don't think I can stay here much longer. I can't even pay the Homeowners fees. I've got to get out of here. I know my mother is probably with some rich dude, but I also know she doesn't want to lose this condo. I hate her, but I need her for the money.”

“Hey. Sammy, the cute Harriman guy is going to try and track down your mother to see if she can shed any light on his parents' murders. They think she might know something since she was carrying on with Dr. Harriman.”

“Well, let me know if he finds her. I know how she is if she doesn't want to be found.”

“Do you really think the dealers will come after you?” Lily asked.

“Why wouldn't they? They're pretty ruthless.”

“Do you have somewhere to stay where they won't find you?”

“I know an old rich guy I can stay with for a while, but even I can't take his sexual proclivities for long. He's a sicko guy with a large sexual appetite," Sammy said.

“Well, stick it out as long as you can. Take some pictures and maybe you can blackmail him. Remember what you learned from your sweet mama,” Lily reminded him.

Tuesday morning came quickly. Connie, Andrew and Julio sat at breakfast making plans to return to the inn for Thanksgiving. Julio had a flight to catch that day and a mission to locate Beth Vreeland, the real estate agent who fought with his mother at the country club. Sgt. Joe Reynolds found several addresses in various states for Vreeland. The most recent was an address close to Coral Gables, Florida, and Julio was going to check it out. Reynolds also confirmed that Vreeland's alibi had checked out, but suggested she might have new or additional information that could aid the investigation.

“I've really enjoyed getting to know Lily and Earl Lookey. Wasn't Earl's description of Vreeland a hoot? ‘Mostly knockers and blonde hair.'”

“Yeah, if I'd known he was so cool when I was a kid,” Julio said, “I would have let up on toilet papering his Maple tree every Halloween.”

Connie laughed. “Well, you know what they say about hindsight, but I don't think Mr. Lookey holds it against you.”

“Yeah. You know, I think we should invite Lily and Mr. Lookey to join us at the inn for Thanksgiving. It will be my way of thanking them for everything they've done for us.”

Connie frowned. “Lily told me some very sad things. She never had a father, in fact never knew who he was. She and her mother lived a frugal life. More to the point they were extremely poor. Going to Tilden High must have been quite difficult, where most of us never had to worry about money. We always had what we needed and almost everything we could want. Lily remembered that I was a cheerleader and for her that was the epitome of success. She wasn't in the popular group and hung out with the ‘dorks' like her best friend, a gay kid named Sammy. I don't remember either of them. Of course she was a year younger so that had something to do with it, I suppose.”

After breakfast, Connie and Andrew said their goodbyes to Julio. Afterwards, Connie and Andrew, who were both staying one more day, headed back to her suite on the third floor. When she realized they were finally alone, Connie suddenly felt shy and awkward. Andrew must have sensed it because he took both her hands in the elevator and gently asked how she was doing.

Connie was still a bit weepy from saying goodbye to Julio. “As sad as I am at the prospect of not seeing Julio again until Thanksgiving, this was also the happiest I've been in twenty-two years.”

Andrew smiled. “I feel the same way.”

They walked into the room and Connie immediately started busying herself by picking things up and checking her messages. Andrew took her hand again and said, “I guess that new Connie I met the other night at the reunion is gone.” Connie smiled shyly and Andrew smiled back and said, “That's okay. I'm in love with the old Connie. I'm not going to push myself on you. I know you're very fragile right now.”

Connie kissed him and said, “Thank you for understanding.”

“No problem. So…what do you want to do today?”

“Just be with you.” With that, Andrew took her in his arms and gently and slowly kissed her.

Connie kissed him back and then slowly pushed him away. “I don't want the ugliness of the other night to creep into my relationship with you, so I just need to give it a little time.”

“Whatever you want, Connie,” Andrew said gently. “I'm with you, but I do want you to know I never stopped loving you. Ever. But I never really expected to see you again. I was resigned to dedicating my life to my work and sports and probably living a bachelor's life until I was a lonely old man,” he said sadly.

Connie commiserated with him, cupping his cheek and smiling up at him. “That won't happen, Andrew, because that's exactly how I feel about you. I couldn't let myself love anyone else. I knew I would always love you and seeing you again confirmed it for me.”

“Well, then, is it too soon to talk about our future together, or is that too much for you right now?”

“Well, as far as I'm concerned, from this moment on, my future is with you.”

“Then would you consider moving to New York?”

“In a New York minute. I need to go back and check on Aunt Viv and give my job some notice. I will need to give the company time to find a new General Manager, but I have a few people in mind to put before the board of trustees, that is, if they want the job.”

“What about your Aunt? Will she be okay without you?”

“I'll talk to her, but she's got a full life in Utah with her friends. I know she'll miss having me close by, but she can visit us as often as she wants.”

“Then let's start the wheels turning for our life together.”

“I just want to mention so you're aware of it, life in New York means living in a much smaller space then you're used to.”

“I can't wait,” Connie said. “But before we jump into this, I have to ask you a question that has been bothering me about my parents' murders.”

“Alright. I've been waiting for this one.”

“Why did the police arrest you? Weren't you in school like the rest of us and couldn't they verify that?” Connie asked.

Andrew took a deep breath and sighed. “I wasn't in school that day, Connie.”

“Were you home sick?” Connie asked hopefully.

“No, I wasn't,” he said.

“Oh, God, Andrew, where were you?”

Andrew sighed and didn't speak for several seconds. Connie could feel her muscles tightening up and dread engulfing her.

“Connie, listen to me and don't interrupt. I'll explain everything.”

Connie's stomach turned inside out and she was preparing herself for the final blow.

“I was in downtown Cincinnati that morning, marching against racial injustice. I didn't tell my parents or anyone else. I heard about the march from some black football players from another school. I was starting to become politically curious about the Negro role in society. I know it's hard for you, as a white person, to understand this, but as the only black guy in our entire school, I felt isolated. Julio felt the same way.

“I started reading about the racial deprivation outside of our little world in Tilden Park. The more I learned about the poverty and segregation around me, the more I felt a compulsion to fight it. I debated with myself long and hard before I did the march because I didn't want it to affect my parents' jobs or my chances for a scholarship. I realized what a good life I had, but after wrestling with my conscience, I knew I had to do it.

“Remember the homecoming game when we went out for pizza afterwards and they wouldn't seat us because I was black?”

“Of course I do. We were celebrating our team winning the football game—the game you almost single-handedly won for us,” said Connie proudly.

“I was so humiliated, Connie. Even though everyone walked out with me, the damage to my ego was done. I'll never forget that episode. Up until that point, I tolerated sometimes not being able to use a restroom or a drinking fountain because the sign said, ‘Whites Only'. I started reading about civil rights and Martin Luther King. He and thirty-three other blacks were arrested for sitting at a lunch counter somewhere in the south. They officially arrested King on a traffic violation, but everyone knew the truth. White people at that time were not only refusing to share facilities with blacks, but they were also unwilling to share any economic, political or social power.

“As a young black man, I had to contribute to making changes. I was even angry at my parents because they seemed resigned to the way things were. In fact, your parents were more sympathetic to the Negro cause than my own parents were, or at least that's what I felt at the time. I've since learned to understand my parents' perspective as I grew older. Simply stated, they wanted a better life for me and they felt I was better off going through the education system. It seemed safer, easier and smarter than a violent, grassroots endeavor.

“Anyway, I took a bus from the Tilden Park Square into downtown and I marched. I was hoping no one would recognize me, but in the end, I was lucky two people did see me, which saved me from being wrongfully prosecuted. As I marched, I had a feeling of sanctity and I decided that day I would use the resources available to me to fight for what I believed in. Ironically, what I thought was a genesis for me that day turned out to be the end of my wonderful life with you.

“I came home to the news about your parents and the police were questioning me about why I wasn't in school and where I was. At first I told them that I played hooky from school and went to the library downtown to work on a paper. I thought by admitting what I did, my parents could lose their jobs, so I couldn't have it all over the news. I told my parents the truth after the cops left and they convinced me to tell the truth. They supported me for what I did and said they were prepared to pay the consequences.